Forts in Plaquemines Parish near mouth of Mississippi could become new national park

Resurrecting a years-old push among historians in Plaquemines Parish, U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu has filed anew a bill that would order a study of whether the mouth of the Mississippi River and historic but deteriorating forts along the waterway could become part of the National Park Service system.

View full sizePhotos by Susan Poag, The Times-PicayuneIf Congress approves it, the Department of Interior would study the feasibility of creating a national park that would include the parish-owned Fort Jackson, top, near Buras and the privately owned Fort St. Philip, on the Mississippi's east bank across from Buras accessible only by boat. The forts played roles in battles ranging from the War of 1812 to the Civil War.

If Congress approves it, the Department of Interior would study the feasibility of creating a national park that would include the parish-owned Fort Jackson near Buras and the privately owned Fort St. Philip, on the Mississippi's east bank across from Buras accessible only by boat. The forts played roles in battles ranging from the War of 1812 to the Civil War.

"This area in southeastern Louisiana has contributed much to our nation's history, and there are many stories that have yet to be preserved for the future generations," Landrieu, D-La., said in a statement. "Unless Congress acts to preserve these historical assets, they will be lost forever."

This marks Landrieu's third time introducing such a bill, which in the past garnered opposition in part on grounds of the cost for a study, said to be as much as $500,000. Amid federal budget cuts, the new version includes a provision allowing for "non-federal" money to pay for the study, opening the door to Plaquemines Parish government to find ways to pay for it.

"We don't want to hold up the study if we can't get it federally funded," said Parish President Billy Nungesser, who has estimated a national park could attract 500,000 tourists annually to lower Plaquemines. "We'll go after foundation money or go to state or local money to move this forward. Tourism is too important to be held up by federal budget cuts."

News of Landrieu's renewed interest was well-received but eyed with cautious optimism among Plaquemines Parish historians who have been seeking to include the forts in the National Park Service system since 2004.

"Adding these forts into the national park system will bring a lot of additional tourism dollars into all of southeastern Louisiana, quickly paying most if not all of the expenses incurred by the Park Service," said historian Rod Lincoln, who has written papers calling for a national park. "After Katrina, this was one of the top recommendations for the entire state of Louisiana, to help it get back on its feet. But it was never approved. I wish it had not been delayed until the middle of the budget crisis to be introduced."

A longtime advocate of a Park Service takeover, Lincoln has been critical of Plaquemines Parish's financial ability to own Fort Jackson, which saw $10 million in FEMA-financed work after Hurricane Katrina to repair damage and remove trees whose root systems grew into and weakened the fort's vulnerable masonry. The historians think the Park Service has resources the parish lacks. Fort St. Philip is in private hands, and its owners have appeared to be reluctant to give up the property, which has for years fallen into disrepair.

The historians' hope since 2004 has been to have the Park Service take over the forts in time for the 150th anniversary of Union Navy Adm. David Farragut's battle in lower Plaquemines on the way to taking New Orleans during the Civil War in 1862, marking what some historians believe was the beginning of the end for the Confederacy.

Historians also have an eye on Fort St. Philip and the bicentennial of the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812, where troops turned back a British fleet seeking to capture the Crescent City in 1815, Lincoln said. Regardless of whether the National Park Service takes over before the anniversaries, the historians still are trying to find partners to help the parish commermorate the events beginning next year, Lincoln said.

Forts have been located in lower Plaquemines since the Spanish explored in the 1500s, according to Landrieu's office. Fort St. Philip was established in 1749 and has been updated and modified through the decades through French and U.S. ownership. Fort Jackson was built in the 1820s.

In addition to the forts, Landrieu said the area has "other important and unique attributes," including the ancient Head of Passes, Plaquemines Bend and two national wildlife refuges.

Proponents of the plan have called it the "Lower Mississippi River National Park" and would point out not only the forts, but also sites such as where LaSalle claimed the Mississippi for France in 1682, at a site just downriver from Fort Jackson and sites where German U-Boats attacked U.S. ships during World War II. They also envision an interpretive center in Venice with exhibits on how the delta was formed and the effects that levees and other elements have had on the Gulf of Mexico.